Action Packed 4th

Despite being exhausted from the late night before, David and I decided to head out at 6:30 a.m. to see the balloons being launched. We left the kids and Grandma asleep and went out to enjoy the crisp morning air. I actually cried a bit with the patriotic music and seeing the flag being raised on one of the balloons.
This ballon says Lady Lex II, it made me think of Alexa.
I love hot air balloons and they are a tradition in Provo. David knows I love the 4th in Utah. Actually, I love the summer in Utah and even though I haven't lived there for 10 years, I still get homesick when I visit in the summer.
And of course the 4th wouldn't be complete without a parade. I always loved the parades when I was a little girl and was excited for Natalie and Stephen to get to see one, it was their first parade. Grandma didn't come because she doesn't like the sun, but we actually got lucky and had a spot right in the shade. It was so beautiful outside.
David's sister Becky ran the 10 K. We didn't get their early enough to see her run since we were trying to let the kids get as much sleep as possible.
We saw some people that we used to go to church with in Tucson. They spotted us through the crowd. They were in Utah for vacation as well, funny huh? It was pretty amazing and cool to catch up for a minute.
Debra and Natalie. Debra was three when I met David. I can't believe she is 17 now (older than I was when I met her!).
This is Natalie and Melinda getting out of the rain. Yes we got some rain on and off, but it was kind of nice.
Cute huh?

Natalie's favorite part of the parade was all the floats with "princesses" on them. When I was a little girl I loved them too (ok, I still do). I loved to wave to all the pretty girls on the floats, that was before the days of the disney princesses.
Natalie insisted that we take video of each and every float with princesses on it. She was SO excited. My favorite float said, "Magic is faith, trust, and pixie dust!"
During the parade (whenever he wasn't with someone from his fanclub that is), Stephen would pat me on the arm and say Mama and point things out to me. He LOVED this clown and he also liked the horses with the wagons and the firetruck a lot.
Pretty girl.
Stephen and Audrey. Poor Audrey just got out of quarantine in her bedroom the day before we arrived (she had swine flu) and I am sure she was enjoying the sun and fresh air. She was away at camp when she contracted it and went from camp to the doctor (she has asthma) and then straight into quarantine. The poor kid wasn't allowed out of her bedroom for something like 8 days. But, it worked and no one else in the family got sick.
After the parade we headed back to Grandma's and even though we were only there a few minutes, Natalie got busy playing. She explained to me, "Mom, these were my Daddies toys when he was a little boy!" Both Natalie and Stephen LOVED them and played with them every chance they got.
After getting Grandma and The Cousins we went to lunch at a Brazilian barbeque place. It was perfect for Natalie because they bring all sorts of meats out on skewers...Natalie loves meat.

Then we headed out to a Hamilton (my maiden name) family gathering. I got to see lots of extended family that I haven't seen in a VERY long time. It made me feel old because all my cousins that were little before were teenagers and young adults. Too weird. I loved getting a chance to visit with people and felt bad that there wasn't more time and that I hadn't seen so many of these people in a long time. I think as I get older I really enjoy people more and more...I'm not quite as shy as I used to be. One of my Aunts brought a whole bunch of stickers for Natalie and Stephen. She follows my CB page and so she knows how much they love Scooby and princesses.

This is Natalie, Stephen, and my cousin's son Owen.
Natalie and her 2nd cousin Owen. They had a great time playing together and got along really well.
Showing off her cool finger nails. Her cousin Audrey painted them to match her and Melinda. Natalie said, "we match now, so I will always remember you."
Leaving the family gathering with a stolen cookie...off to another gathering at my Aunt and Uncles house.

I am the closest to this Aunt and Uncle and their family. Their son Jeremey has always been my favorite cousin, he introduced me to David too. My Grandma Hamilton was there too. It was nice to get to see her.
Natalie took some pictures of the fireworks they were setting off. No individual fireworks are allowed in Arizona, so this was another first for my kids. They liked it.
Stephen liked Owen too.
To end the night, we went to meet The Cousins and Grandma for the firework show. We sat in the field at David's high school. One cool thing about the entire trip to Utah was going so many places where we have so many memories. I have memories from when I was a little girl, memories of homes, memories of meeting and dating David, and memories of visits back. It was good to think of those things and let them soak in. Little moments would come back to me and it was very sweet for me. Of course, it made me a bit homesick. I think what I loved the most was seeing Natalie and Stephen loving their cousins and thinking of how much fun it would be to live close to them.
Natalie and Stephen ran and ran and played and played. In fact, they had so much fun that we had to keep reminding them to sit and watch the fireworks, which they love and if it wasn't for the great fun they would have been enthralled by them. One of the biggest hits was the sparklers. Natalie and Stephen LOVED them. I loved hearing the squeals of laughter all night. I could not see them all the time due to the dark, but they ran and played with the girls. I know Natalie felt so grown up with her cousins.
Fireworks are what makes the 4th of July my second favorite holiday after Christmas. They are so incredibly beautiful and amazing. What an amazing 4th from my sweet husband.